Earn what we protect
by JustAnotherHer0
Summary: No memories. No name. A fresh start in a world I have no clue about. This will be quite the fable but all I know now is that I must earn what I protect.
1. Chapter 1

Yoyoyo, It's JustAnotherHer0 here. This is my first fic so be as hard as possible on me. Put all positive and negative reviews and please give me criticism as my writing needs a lot of work. There will be pairing with OC's. Other than that enjoy this fic.

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White. The colour I saw when I first opened my eyes. Blinding my vision. I rubbed my eyes, hoping to see something. I was in a white bed with light blue sheets. Wires connected to my thin arms that connected to contraptions all around me, wearing a hospital gown. I seemed to have a frail and small frame; one that a kid would have. The low hum of the machines and various beeps and boops is all that I heard as I surveyed my surroundings.

A simple window displaying into the dark dreary forest; giving me an ominous feeling. A gentle breeze moves the various leaves around. The orange skyline around the forest contrasted against the darkness the forest gave. I assume it was dusk as I took notice to a small television in the corner of the room, on a roller. Playing the news with a woman with short light lavender hair and dandelion eyes. She was wearing formal attire. The headline passing by the screen was 'White Fang goes violent'.

I didn't bother to listen as I heard the click of the door was it slowly swung open, revealing a small girl which seemed to be around my age in my current state. Wearing a maroon hoodie and a dull red cape, black skirt that ended mid thigh with black hair tinted red at the tips and parted at the left, leaving one side long and another short and her skin was pale. The most striking feature of the girl was her silver eyes, which seemed to give an aura of power. My mind felt like it was being penetrated as I stared into her beautiful eyes.

"Uncle Qrow he's awake!" I heard her say, breaking my concentration. What I assumed was her uncle walked into the room.

A man around late twenties and early thirties entered. He was wearing a two toned gray dress shirt with a wide black collar. A tattered dark red cloak upon his back and black dress pants and shoes. His eyes were a startling red and his hair was black bordering dark gray, done up messily in a spiky fashion. He stared me down looking up and down as he assessed me.

"What do you remember kiddo?" I heard his raspy voice say. I put all of my brain power into what I remember but everything came up blank. Not even my own name or my own parents. No memories. Everything about myself was wiped from my brain.

"Nothing." I answered plainly. Which he gave me a puzzled expression.

"Not even your own name?" He responded as he took out a flask and drank whatever was inside it. I shook my head as I heard him sigh.

"Then let's give you one" He said as I saw the girl whisper something in his ear and his eyes lit up. He was beaming.

"That'll suit him" He decided. He capped his flask and stood up. He pointed at me with an authoritative aura.

"Your name is now Sterling Branwen. Don't tarnish my last name." He announced as I silently contemplated the name. It's better than nothing. I nodded my head showing my agreement. I had to make sure to live up to the name he gave me.

"Good, good. Ruby keep him put while I go talk to the front office." He ordered as he stood up and left before I could ask him a question. An awkward silence overtook the girl and I. I solemnly stared at the television to pass the time. How did I get here? What's my past? Will I ever remember? Questions flew through my mind as I contemplated them all.

"Um, my name is Ruby Rose! What's yours?" I heard her say as I broke concentration from the screen and my thoughts. A smile dawned on my face.

"You gave me my name remember?" I told her as I saw her go a shade of red I don't see often. It looked cute.

"Oh… right." Ruby responded in a dejected tone. Her head drooped as her hood covered her head and face.

"Anyways, do you know what happened to me?" I asked her. She somberly took off her hood and put on a thinking expression. Hopefully I find some answers.

"Well I remember going out with Uncle Qrow to the town to buy some groceries, on the way we saw you on the ground and you weren't in the best shape. Your eyes are just like mine! It surprised me; not many people have silver eyes. Now that I mention it the only people I know that have silver eyes are you and me! Qrow picked you up and we ran you to the nearest hospital and now here you are." She explained to me as the words sunk in. I had silver eyes as well? It dawned on me that I don't even know what I looked like. A mirror would come in handy when I get the chance to look at one.

"What's going to happen to me now?" I asked as she gave me a shrug. Great.

"Best guess I have is that you're either staying with me and my sister or with uncle Qrow. Then again Qrow doesn't really have a house" She gave her guess as I waited patiently for Qrow to come back and explain what's going to happen next. The hum of the machines and the voice of the news anchor was what's left as Ruby put some headphones on and stared out the window. I pondered what she would be thinking of. Maybe it was about me. Maybe it was about her friends. I kept my brain active as I heard the sound of shoes coming close. Qrow walked back into the room.

"Alright kid, we're getting you out of here. You're going to be staying with Ruby's family until we find your real family." Qrow explained as the nurses and doctors came in. Disconnecting me from the machines. They put me through a quick series of tests which I passed at least I think I did. I shifted myself as I stood up.I took one step and stumbled down. I heard the nurses and doctors ask if I was fine. I blew them off as I pushed myself off the ground and proceeded to slowly walk towards Qrow clinging onto his cape for support. I was fairly short, I was around the middle of his ribs but I was still taller than Ruby who I stood a good two or three inches over.

Qrow and Ruby started to walk off as I followed them. Looking down at the ground all I saw was my pale feet as we walked outside into the town. I had nothing on but my hospital gown and my pride. We walked to… well I didn't know where we were walking to. Various people stared at me, even a few people with different animal like qualities. I didn't get a good view of the town as I was too busy making sure I didn't get separated from the only people I know. At most I saw lots of various trees and stores. Suddenly Qrow stopped as I nearly crashed into his leg. I looked up to see we were at a clothing shop labelled 'Discount Diana's'. Aisles and aisles of various clothing overtook my vision.

"Ruby go pick out some clothes for Sterling. Girls are good at that thing right?" He asked as he went towards the cashier, who was a beautiful woman who seemed to be around her early twenties. I felt a tug on my arm as I was whisked away by Ruby into the ocean of clothing. We headed towards the clearance section of the store. Hopefully my clothing didn't look like trash. Then again beggars can't be choosers.

I sat on a seat as Ruby went to go grab me some clothes. To the left of me I saw a mirror as I examined my reflection. My hair was white, bordering gray; it was in a unkempt fashion with no form as my hair just went wild it was almost like Qrow's but a lot looser and unpolished. Silver eyes and a light complexion with only a few dirty patches here or there on my young face. My arms and legs were thin but I did not look malnourished. My torso was the same as my arms and legs but slightly bigger in proportions.

Ruby came with clothing that I didn't expect. I was expecting some basic t-shirts, maybe some jeans and a hoodie or two but she came with completely different attire. She handed me a light gray form fitting double breasted zip-up jacket with fur accents at the end of the sleeves and collar. Red lines going along the sides of the jacket. A deep salmon long sleeve shirt and flexible black pants. To my surprise a pair of shoes were also there, white high top canvas shoes with red accents along the sole, matching my jacket. I felt some blood rush up to my face as I saw my underwear tossed in there was well with socks.

"Thanks Ruby I'll try them on." I thanked as I walked into the nearest change room. I put on my clothing and they all fit slightly loose, probably due to my thin frame but I'll grow into it once I eat a bit more. I admired myself in the mirror just a little bit more before moving out into the store. Ruby and Qrow were waiting outside the changeroom. Qrow had a red mark across is face in a shape of a hand. I assume his flirting didn't go well.

"Does it look good?" I asked my audience as they both gave a nod.

"Looks expensive though" Qrow remarked as he looked at Ruby.

"Don't worry uncle Qrow they're all on clearance!" Ruby responded as Qrow nodded. Thankfully I got to keep these amazing clothes.

"Alright sounds good, let's buy all that then go back to Taiyang's" Qrow explained. I gave a quizzical expression.

"Who's Taiyang?" I questioned. Is Taiyang a friend of Qrow's?

"He's my dad!" Ruby shouted gleefully as we walked towards the counter. I gave a nod of understanding. He must be a cool guy with black hair like Ruby. Silver eyes as well I assume.

"How can I pay you back for all of this?" I asked as Qrow gave me a look and examined me.

"Become a Hunter and protect the world. That's what you can do for me kiddo" Qrow responded as he pulled out his wallet and swiped his card. I think he saw something in me that made me 'hunter' material. Then again I might just be flattering myself.

"What exactly is a hunter?" I questioned once more, clueless. Are they people who hunt animals for food? Is it a title for a noble?

"They fight super evil Grimm and protect the kingdoms and villages! They make sure the world is safe!" Ruby gave an explanation but the lingo didn't click with me. Grimm did sound like a dangerous beast I'll give her that.

"What's a Grimm?" I remarked as I heard Ruby gasp. Is it really that surprising that a guy with no memory has no clue about Grimm or what a hunter is?

"They're the enemies of humanity. They lack a soul and are attracted to negative feelings. Hunters like me kill them before they can do any harm. We also uphold the peace but to a lesser extent than the police do." Qrow responded as we proceeded to walk out of the store and back onto the street. A shattered moon was high in the night's sky. Stars twinkled in the dark abyss of the night. I made sure to keep up with Qrow and Ruby as I admired the amazing look.

"Never seen the night sky before?" Qrow asked which I gave a nod to.

"I have no memories of it but it looks amazing." I responded.

"I've never seen a kid love the night so much before. Everyone has always feared the night because of the Grimm." Qrow commented. I gave a shrug. I had no clue what the Grimm was but Qrow could probably handle it. Then soon enough I'll be able to fight them without fear.

"I'll beat the Grimm then. I want to become stronger than you." I declared. Qrow kept silent. We walked into the forest and eventually we made it to what I assumed was Ruby's/Taiyang's house. A moderate two story log cabin. It gave off a humble and family like vibe. We walked up to the door as Qrow knocked.

"Hey Tai, I got a surprise for you." Qrow said as the door opened.

"Ruby! Qrow!" Taiyang shouted in glee as he then shifted his look towards me. Taiyang looked like a cowboy minus the hat. Messy blonde hair and blue eyes with a tanned complexion and a clean shaven face. He had on dark khaki cargo shorts with a brown belt, a leather vest over a tan dress shirt with a red bandana on his bicep. He looked absolutely different from what I had in my mind.

"Who's he?" Taiyang asked pointing at me with an eyebrow raised.

"I'm Sterling Branwen." I answered as he shot Qrow a dirty look.

"Is this Raven's kid or something?" Taiyang spat. The malice I felt in his voice was overpowering. I cowered in fear and hid behind Qrow's cape.

"Woah there, we found him out on the side of the road. He has no memory so we gave him a name." Qrow 's eyes softened and he gave a sigh.

"What do I got to do with this?" He asked as he started to tap his foot. Looks like he was starting to get annoyed. Does Qrow just dump his responsibilities off to him or something?

"Take care of him for me, until we find his real parents." Qrow asked as Taiyang looked at me then back at Qrow.

"What's in it for me?" Taiyang inquired. As Qrow gave a smirk

"Other than a good feeling? I'll owe you a favor or something" Qrow replied as Taiyang scoffed. Looks like it was a no deal.

"No deal Qrow, he's your problem." Taiyang answered as I felt dejected and my expression got mopey. Shortly after I saw Qrow bring Taiyang in and told him something that was inaudible to me and Ruby who was already in the house shouting 'Yang'. They broke up the close interaction and Taiyang gave a nod.

"Alright this is where we part ways Sterling. Remember what I said" Qrow reminded as he walked off onto the path and into the dreary forest.

"See ya uncle Qrow!" Ruby bellowed from inside the house. To which Qrow responded to a half wave. Taiyang motioned for me to come in and I followed. The inside was simple and didn't differ much from the outside. Log walls with slick wooden flooring beneath my feet. To the left of me was a living room. A flat 'screen' television in front of a green worn down couch. A coffee table and a rug with all simple rectangular design under it.

"Yang we got a new friend!" Taiyang called out as I heard footsteps come towards us. I turned around and saw a girl with long yellow flowy hair with slight curls. She had purple eyes and a pale complexion just like Ruby. She was around two inches taller than me and wore a tan blouse that covered her arms and she donned a pair of black shorts.

"Who's that?" She questioned as she pointed at me. People just love pointing at me.

"He's going to be staying with us because Qrow couldn't track his family so until he does find them he's going to stay with us." Taiyang explained as Yang nodded.

"My name is Yang. I like punching things. What's your name?" Yang introduced as she put out her hand for a handshake.

"My name is Sterling. I like… Ruby because she helped me. I like Qrow too because he saved me and told me to become a hunter!" I introduced as I took her hand and shook it. She pulled me in close so only I could hear her. A slight tinge of red donned my cheeks.

"Just make sure you don't make Ruby cry if you value your life" She whispered as I pulled back and frantically nodded. I wouldn't want to mess with her if I valued my life. She chuckled and wrapped her arm around my neck.

"We're going to get along just fine!" Yang announced as she gave me a noogie. I quickly released myself as I took off my shoes and placed them near the door.

"Alright let's have some dinner, what do you guys want?" Taiyang asked. He put on a cooking apron as I saw Ruby run towards the kitchen connected to the living room. I stood up and followed her. I was famished and my stomach growled like a beast ready to be unleashed.

"I want meat! Lots of it!" Yang suggested as my stomach growled even louder. Ruby nodded as well as Taiyang gave a chuckle. Meat it is then. Maybe I'll be able to get me some muscle mass.

"Alright coming right up. You girls show Sterling around the house" Taiyang ordered as they mock saluted. I felt my arms being pulled towards the doorframe as my body complied. They lead me upstairs towards the bedrooms. The hallway had 4 oak doors one at each end and one to the left and front and one to the left and back. Yang opened the door to her room which was the door on the left and back; filled with all sorts of posters of bands. The overall colour of the room was a vibrant yellow and it was fairly small. Yellow sheets on a single white bed; the bed frame had no designs and was just a metal frame. A small window and a closet at the end of the room. Clothing and what not strewn about the room. I cautiously moved around the room hoping I don't step on a lego.

"Welcome to my room!" Yang exclaimed as she spruced up the place a little. It was nothing out of the ordinary; just how I would imagine a young girl's room would be like that wasn't into dolls.

"It looks good" I complimented as I looked around the room for any points of interest. I saw a mask with red floral like designs on it. Two slits for eye holes. I picked it up to examine it thoroughly. The mask only seemed to be made to cover the eyes.

"What's this?" I asked. As Yang swiped it from my hands; giving a somber look. I felt some guilt rush over me. Did I do something i shouldn't have?

"It's from my mom, dad said that she left it for me when she left to go do something. She still hasn't come back" Yang explained. Face droopy and a frown imminent. I gave a warm smile.

"I'm sure she will come back one day. Sorry for picking it up without asking" I apologized as Yang shook her head.

"It's fine I got over it" Yang replied as Ruby tugged on my sleeve. Whisking me away to another door. This time it was the one to the right and front. Yang followed as Ruby opened the door to her room. Black and red seemed to be the colour scheme this time around instead of Yang's vibrant yellow. It was similar to Yang's but it was filled with pictures of weapons and various action figures. It was somewhat neater than Yang's room but it was still messy and I was concerned I was going to step in something I didn't want to step in more so than Yang's room.

"Here's my super awesome room!" She announced bubbly as she bounced around the room showing me all the weapons and action figures. I felt a little overwhelmed as I listened to all the wonderful explanations and stories she spouted from her mouth. She even showed me her action figure collection she had been working on. She then picked out a picture from a bulletin board.

"This is my favorite! It's uncle Qrow's!" She exclaimed as she shoved the picture of Qrow's weapon in my hand. A scythe that was taller than he was; gray gears where the handle and the blade connected. The blade was serrated on one side and smooth on the other. Black handle and gray blade were accented by the red that was on the serrated side of the scythe.

"That looks so cool!" I responded as I took a closer look at the photo. I heard Yang scoff as I looked up to see she grabbed one of the photos off the wall.

"This is just as cool!" Yang remarked as she showed me a younger Taiyang which didn't really look all the different other than he seemed younger. He really hadn't aged a day. He had brown gauntlets on and was in a battle stance. Arms up and low base. I had to disagree the scythe looked much cooler. Something about those Gauntlets don't click with me.

"Sorry Yang but Qrow's weapon looks much cooler." I argued as Yang gave a huff.

"It's because he saved you isn't it?" Yang scoffed as I shook my head frantically. Trying to chock it up to favoritism?

"Not at all! I just don't like the gauntlets. They seem so bland compared to the scythe that Qrow uses." I explained as Yang once again wrapped her arm around me and gave me yet another noogie. I rubbed my head hoping to dissipate pain once we had disconnected.

"See Yang the scythe is so much cooler than some old gauntlets!" Ruby shouted in triumph. As Yang's arms were shaking violently and her face got red. I took a step back before I got caught in the crossfire. Of course I would step in if things get too heated.

"No way! Fists will break weapons any day!" Yang retorted as she got into the same battle stance as the young Taiyang in the photo. Ruby pulled out a crudely made cardboard scythe as they gave each other intense glares. I stepped in before anything happened. I didn't want anyone to get hurt just because I like a certain weapon.

"Take it easy. Let's go check if dinner's ready." I suggested as they seemed to calm down and go back to their usual demeanor. Yang with an impossibly wide grin.

"Is it because you don't want Ruby to get hurt?" She jested as I nodded to her surprise.

"I don't want to see any of you guys hurt." I declared in front of both of them. Which earned me a light blush from Ruby and Yang. They're faces were probably just red from the intensity of the encounter from before.

"You know you're as thick as a rock right?" Yang deadpanned as I shrugged and took both of their arms and lead them down the stairs.

"I may be thick-headed but so is my belly. I'm starving" I responded earning me a chuckle from both. We sprinted towards the kitchen to check up on the status of the amazing food. Taiyang noticed and gave us a glance as he proceeded to keep cooking. The sizzle was music to my ears as I eagerly awaited a response from him.

"Good timing the foods almost done. Go take a seat guys." Taiyang said. I waited until Ruby and Yang took their spots before taking a seat. There were 4 seats at the square table; perfect for all of us. Plates and utensils laid out for us. I heard Taiyang hum a tone as he grilled some meat for us. I had no clue what it was but the aroma alone made my stomach churn in excitement. I was at the edge of my seat as I stared in bliss at the food being cooked. Not too long after we took a seat Taiyang placed a plate filled with t-bones, chicken breasts, and pork.

"Is this a feast Taiyang?!" I half screamed and half asked; drool was pouring like a waterfall right out of my mouth as I looked at the tantalizing food. The food seemed like it was cooked by a being that was half-man and half-amazing.

"Well Today is your birthday. To us at least. Qrow and I don't have a clue when your birthday is, so let's make it today. So I made my super special meat sampler." Taiyang responded. It wasn't too long before Yang, Ruby and I were tearing through all the meat at an alarming pace. Today's my birthday huh? I looked around for a calendar and found the current date. It was August 31st. I'll keep a mental note on that date.

"This is the best you've ever cooked dad!" Ruby praised as Taiyang put on a smug look. I swear I didn't even see her chew before she swallowed her food.

"Agreed" Yang added as she tore through some more chicken. She ate like an absolute animal.

"It's really good Taiyang" I complimented nonchalantly. I made eye contact with Taiyang only to be meet with an awkward stare. Did I say something strange? Did he think I was lying? This food is absolutely fantastic. No point in lying.

"Just call me dad, Sterling. Calling me by my first name is just sort of odd." Taiyang said. I smirked and nodded. Looks like I was already part of the family.

"Alright then 'dad' are you going to eat any or are we just going to eat it all?" I joked as I took more food. I saw my new dad panicking as he struggled to get a piece of meat before it was devoured by either Ruby or Yang. It was the funniest thing I've seen so far at my stay here.

"Hey, hey! Leave some for me!" Taiyang shouted in panic as the meat that was once on the plate started to disappear right before his eyes. I had a nice laugh as once again the meat monsters struck again. I brought my plate to the sink to be cleaned after clearing the leftovers into the garbage can.

"Alright girls, once you're done with your food go clean up and get ready to go to bed." Taiyang said as he got up from his seat a T-bone in his mouth. Taking his plate with him and placing it in the sink. Ruby and Yang nodded as I wondered where I would sleep.

"Dad where will I be sleeping?" I inquired as he turned around and took a thinking pose.

"How old are you again?" Taiyang asked out of the blue. I took on a puzzled expression. What a strange question to ask me.

"I don't know. I think I'm around the same age as Ruby." I answered not really sure how old I was. I had no recollection of my age. Then again I don't remember anything about myself and the world. Dad pondered even more as he sighed.

"So you're around 9? So then today you turned 9 on your birthday." Taiyang remarked; completely avoiding the past question I asked.

"Can you answer my question please?" I asked irritated. He nodded then ran upstairs as I wondered what he was up to. Could it be he was setting up the room for me? He ran back down and he tossed me a bedroll and a pillow. I can feel the back pain commencing. The bedroll was barely thick enough for heat let alone comfort.

"Sleep anywhere you want I don't have an extra bed lying around so just find a place you can get some shut eye." Taiyang explained. I didn't really want to sleep alone downstairs and I don't think sleeping with dad is a good idea. Yang is scary and I don't want to sleep in her room for the sake of my head's health. Looks like I'll be sleeping in Ruby's room. I ran upstairs to find Ruby. She was at the end of the hall in the bathroom washing her teeth. I approached her as she took notice of my presence.

"Oh hey Sterling, what's up?" She greeted. She spat out the toothpaste in her mouth and pulled out some mouthwash.

"Ruby your dad said to sleep anywhere I want and I don't really want to sleep alone. Yang is scary and I don't want to sleep in dad's room. So can I sleep in your room?" I explained. Asking a girl to sleep in her room is a risky move but I went for it anyways. Better than the other options I had. I saw Ruby turn bright red. I suppressed a chuckle as she frantically shook her head.

"N-no problem Sterling! It'll be like a sleep over! Are we gonna be sleeping together in the bed or …..?" Ruby mumbled; I didn't really hear her say the last bit but I shook my head and showed her the bedroll and pillow.

"You have the bed. I'll be sleeping on the floor." I answered as I went into Ruby's room and setup my sleeping quarters. I cleared part of her floor and I hoped I didn't touch anything that she didn't want me to touch. I heard a knock on the door as I turned around to see Ruby walking in.

"Um could you leave the room for a bit so I can change into my PJ's?" Ruby asked.

"Sure!" I responded as I left the room and went into the hallway. I quickly used the washroom and washed my face. I saw a pair of pyjama pants with rose patterns on it near the door. I thought nothing of it as I walked out and went back to waiting outside her door. I heard the click of the door opening as Ruby peeked out her head. I looked over to her to see her looking around the hallway looking for something.

"Did you forget something Ruby?" I questioned. It was probably the pants I saw in the bathroom.

"Yeah… I forgot my pyjama pants inside the bathroom can you go get them for me?" She asked kindly as I gave a smirk and a nod. I walked over into the bathroom and grabbed her pyjama pants. I walked over to her and gave it to her.

"Thanks!" She thanked me then went back into the room. I hummed to myself as I waited. The door opened again as she walked out in her night clothing. The aforementioned pyjama pants and a black shirt with a red rose design on it.

"It's your turn to change" She said to me as I laughed.

"I only have these clothes Ruby. Unless you want me to change back into a hospital gown!" I joked as Ruby laughed with me. We walked inside and I sat atop the bedroll.

"You know Ruby those clothes really fit you. Your last name is rose and all you wear are rose covered clothing or red clothing." I commented. She beamed and I responded with my own wide grin.

"Thanks! Your clothes also fit you. Then again I did pick them out" She complimented. I took off my jacket and folded it next to my pillow. An awkward silence once again overtook the room. Thoughts filled my head. I was sleeping in a girl's room. What did girl's do that was so different from a guy? Was there some secret that I wasn't let in on? I forced the thoughts out of my head and thought about how I could become a hunter like Qrow. You probably need training so where can I get the training needed?

"So Ruby you want to become a huntress right? So how do I become a hunter like Qrow?" I inquired. I looked over to her and she had a bright expression on her face. Looks like this will be a thorough explanation.

"I go to this school called Signal academy. Uncle Qrow teaches there and it's a school for hunters and huntresses in training. They teach all sorts of stuff like aura and weapons! They also teach boring stuff like math and history though. Sometimes I get to see people in grades above me batlle. It's super exciting. You should ask dad to enroll you! Yang goes there too and she's super popular. Our break just ended and now we're going back to the academy! We stay in dorms until a break or the weekend." Ruby ranted as I listened closely. August 31st was today so they started school on September 1st. I wonder how strong Ruby and Yang are. I'll probably get to see when I get into signal.

"Sounds awesome! I'll ask dad to sign me up to signal!" I responded in glee. The possibilities were already filling my head.

"Maybe then you can become a better hunter than I am!" She challenged. I gave a hearty laughed as she joined in.

"You bet I will! I'll become stronger than Qrow!" I proclaimed to the world as I heard Ruby snicker. Laugh it up now. We'll see who's going to be the one laughing later.

"Yeah right! No one is better than uncle Qrow!" She defended. A smirk tugged at my lips.

"We'll see Ruby. Soon enough everyone will know the name Sterling Branwen!" I argued.

"Alright then how are you going to become better than uncle Qrow?" She asked. I put on a thinking pose. I had absolutely no idea how I was going to become better than Qrow.

"I have absolutely no idea." I admitted. We laughed together at my cluelessness. I was starting to feel my eyelids feel heavier. I decided to call it quits until I wake up.

"Goodnight" I said.

"Goodnight" She responded. I put my head down onto my pillow and let the gentle darkness overtake me.

* * *

"Take him away!" I heard a masculine voice say. I had no clue where I was. Monsters of all shapes and sizes surrounded me. Other humanoid figures were there with the monsters but I had no clue who was who and what was what. I looked up to see a female face. Green eyes with hair the same colour as mine was carrying me.

"Get the boy!" I heard a feminine voice say. Calm and direct. Suddenly the women took off in a dead sprint and the trees and bushes turned darker and darker before all sight was lost. Darkness was what's left but I still felt her carrying me as wind blew by my face.

* * *

I felt a pain in my abdomen as my eyes shot open. Who was that woman in my dream? Is that my mother? I put my thoughts on hold as I looked towards the window. It was still dark outside and the stars and moon illuminated the room enough for my eyes to see figures but not colours. I looked down at my abdomen to see the figure obstructing my view. I rubbed my eyes and I could make out who it was. Ruby was atop me. She probably fell down from her bed and I woke up because of it.

I slowly slipped out of the sleeping bag as I stood up. I put my arms under Ruby and mustered all of my strength to carry her. She was surprisingly light as I almost tossed her up to the ceiling. Well it was either I was strong or she was light. I took the latter as my pencil arms could barely match a blade of grass. I gave a sigh of relief as I placed her on top of her bed and covered her with the covers. Looking out the window I saw the sun starting to rise. A thin orange-red line at the bottom of the horizon showing the silhouettes of the pine trees and the small bumpy hills.

I put on my jacket and tiptoed out of Ruby's room. I might as well go see the sunrise. I'm already awake. I stealthily walked down the stairs and scoped out the area. No one but me. I put on my shoes and laced them up.

Opening the door outside I turned right to where the sunrise was. I gingerly closed the door behind me and calmly walked towards a tree stump. I took a seat on the stump as the sun started to rise. Orange overtook the sky as I took a deep breath. Looking around the scenery was calming. Trees that isolated you from the city; small bumpy hills with the softest grass I've seen. It relaxed me to no end being alone with all the nature around me. The only man made structures around me being a small shed to the front and right of me and of course the house behind me. Suddenly I heard the door click as I frantically turned around to see who it was. Dad came outside. I never guessed he was a morning type of guy. He turned to look right at me.

"Oh. I didn't know you were a morning person." Taiyang commented. He walked towards the stump and took a seat right next to me. I felt the stump shake a little when he sat down.

"The sunset is beautiful huh?" He asked. A gentle smile tugged at my lips. It was one of the most amazing views I've seen right next to the night.

"Yup. Ruby woke me up accidently and I saw the view outside the window. I thought I would go see it for myself outside." I explained. I felt his eyes burning into my skull as I turned my head. He was staring daggers into my eyes. The aura changed into absolute anger as I cowered and tried to keep my composure.

"You slept in Ruby's room?" He boomed. His voice straining not to shout. I was walking a thin line and I had to make sure I land on the right place.

"I did. I didn't want to sleep in your room and Yang is scary so I thought I'll sleep in Ruby's room." I answered. Dad softening his look as he gave a sigh. I'm safe for now. Did he know the secret about why sleeping in a girl's room is so taboo?

"Alright kiddo whatever you want. Just make sure you knock before entering her room." Taiyang ordered. I gave an understanding nod. He stood up and walked to a nearby shed.

He came out with the gauntlets I had seen before in the photo inside Ruby's room. My eyes were drawn to it as he got into a battle stance. He furiously jabbed the air. Giving it his all in every punch he released. It was like a flurry of punches but each punch was precise. It wasn't just blind punches each punch had meaning. It was amazing to see as I admired his training. I don't know how long I watched him shadow box but the sunrise was over and daylight shone upon the land. He stopped punching at air as sweat dripped from the tips of his hair. His breath ragged and deep. His fighting style was all about punches and kicks but wouldn't using knees and elbows be better? I took note of this; I could use those in combination with punches and kicks for maximum punishment.

"That was so cool! Where did you learn how to do that!" I exclaimed in excitement as dad strut towards me. Using his t-shirt to wipe up all the sweat that was on his forehead and face.

"My dad taught me. It's a family martial art and it sure took a long time to master it." Taiyang explained out of breath, walking back into the house.

"Will I learn martial arts when I enter Signal academy?" I asked as his head turned around and a huge grin across his face.

"So you want to become a hunter?" He remarked. Of course. I wouldn't be asking him if I didn't want to go to Signal and become a hunter.

"Of course! Qrow suggested that I become a hunter. I want to become the best hunter ever! Better than you and Qrow!" I proclaimed. Dad laughed and he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Alright then. Get ready to go then." Taiyang remarked. Opening the door and walking in. I ran to the door to catch up to him, I nearly stumbled and fell but I managed to catch myself in just in the knick time

"Where are we going?" I inquired. I caught my breath then looked up to him and he gave me a wink.

"We're going to Signal to get you signed up." Taiyang responded. I internally celebrated and a huge grin was once again across my face. Time for the birth of the legendary hunter Sterling Branwen!

"Sterling do me a favour and wake up the girls. Oh and make sure to not mess with Yang too much if you value your limbs. I'll get breakfast ready in the meantime." Taiyang instructed. I took my shoes off and ran upstairs to Ruby's room. I knocked on the door to see if she was awake. No response. I opened the door and saw her still sleeping like a brick atop her bed. Bed head and all.

"Hey Ruby wake up." I whispered. She was still asleep. I shook her as I whispered it again. "Wake up Ruby". I heard her groan and mumble something. I shook her firmer but she was still half-conscious. Looks like it was time for drastic measures. I tickled her as she laughed uncontrollably.

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" She screamed through the laughter. Tickling always get them awake. I stopped as she sat up on the bed. She gave me a firm glare.

"There are nicer ways to wake someone up you know." Ruby huffed. I laughed.

"You weren't waking up so I had to take drastic measures. Today is the day I become a hunter in training after all" I replied. Ruby grinned. Looks like she's excited to see me in action.

"Alright. Alright. I'll forgive you just this once." Ruby giggled. She got up from her bed and walked towards outside the door and towards the bathroom. I walked out her room and knocked on Yang's door. This time there was a response.

"Hold on I'm changing!" She shouted from beyond the door. I felt like I dodged a bullet. I really didn't want to wake up Yang after hearing the warning from dad.

"Alright. After you're done get ready to go to school and come down for breakfast!" I instructed.

"Okay!" She answered. I walked down the stairs and patted myself on the back for a job well done. I turned towards the kitchen to see breakfast was ready. Eggs and bacon was on all four plates. I went to the sink and washed my hands. I took a seat and eagerly waited for the girls to come down so I could finally sate my appetite. Taiyang took a seat next to me looking equally as impatient.

"Come on! What's taking those girls so long?" He questioned a tick on his forehead. He turned his head and stared at me, as if looking for an answer.

"Don't look at me. I have no clue what they do that makes it longer for them to get ready" I answered. Dad smirked at me.

"That just means we guys get extra training time. They take so long to get ready to battle they might miss the battle." He joked. I chuckled and I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Finally!" I exclaimed. I turned around and saw them in their school uniforms. A black skirt with 2 horizontal red stripes and black cardigan that had a red line along the collar line and the buttons. with a white undershirt. Black dress shoes tied the look together. A very simple uniform. I wonder what the guy's uniform looked like.

"Sorry! I couldn't find my skirt." Yang apologized. In the mess that Yang called her 'room' I wasn't surprised.

"Your room is basically a pig's pen Yang. You should clean it up more often." Taiyang scolded. He backed up my thoughts as if reading my mind.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just eat and get to school. I'll clean it this weekend." Yang blew off. Ruby and Yang took a seat. The second they got settled me and dad went loose on our food. I didn't even have time to process the taste of my first bite of bacon before dad had already eaten all of his food. He sighed in satisfaction as I started to gobble down my food as well. It didn't take long before we were heading out the door. Then a question popped into my mind. How are we going to get there? Are we going to walk? Are we going to use an automobile or something?

"Dad, how are we going to get to signal?" I inquired. He pointed up to the sky. I looked up to see a vehicle that resembled a ship but it was in the sky. A huge white long oval shaped balloon attached to the small metal room.

"Wait. If the airship is already up there that means that we have to catch it before it reaches the station!" Yang analyzed. We took off in a sprint leaving the dust behind us. I mustered all my stamina and speed just to catch up to them but to no avail. I wasn't even close. Was the power differential this big already? I have a lot of work to do. I looked at their butts the entire time as I struggled to even keep the girls in my vision. Suddenly I felt a force grab me. My captor accelerated as I looked up at who was carrying me. Dad had stopped to make sure I didn't fall behind.

"It's not a very good impression to be late to the first day of school." Taiyang stated. I didn't move from his grasp as we moved at a blistering speed I could barely process. The trees and bushes became a blur. My mind couldn't even process the speed we were going at.

"Will I get this fast when I become a hunter?" I asked, earning me a nod.

"Even faster if you pushed yourself." Taiyang encouraged giving me a cheeky smile. My thoughts filled me with how fast I could become. The faster I become the more hits I will be able to land. If I become the fastest I become the best attacker. I decided I would become the swiftest hunter and demolished my foes before they even had a chance to counter. I know it seems far fetched but I want to become the strongest hunter. No I had to. I can't let Qrow down. I can't let Ruby down. I can't let anyone else down. I can't tarnish my name. Out of nowhere we came to a stop and I was flung onto the cold ground. I groaned and I picked myself off the earth. I quickly dusted myself off as I glared at dad. Did he not account for the sudden deceleration?

"My bad" He said sheepishly. I just shook my head disappointingly and I saw we were at the airship station. I looked around me to see boys and girls of various ages and body types. Their hair colours were just as weird as mine. One boy had bright neon blue hair and another had an eccentric green. I saw the male uniform. It was a black blazer with 2 red stripes along the sides of the sleeves and torso. A white dress shirt covered by a maroon sweater vest. A simple black tie around the collar. Black dress pants but some had a more athletic variation of the pants. Shoes varied from sneakers or dress shoes. That's where I had freedom of customization. Hopefully I can make some friends on my first day of school. I felt a gust of wind as the airship landed in front of us. This was it. A new chapter of my recently acquired life begins.


	2. Chapter 2

Yoyoyoyo it's JustAnotherHer0 here. Yeah I know that this chapter is super delayed but I'm a somewhat busy guy. On the bright side the new Gorillaz album is coming out soon.

Anyways just enjoy. Chapter 3 will be up whenever I feel like it.

* * *

I stepped into the air ship, which was surprisingly roomy. The walls were a drab green with 2 circular windows. More and more children came into the airship filling up the room quickly. Thankfully it wasn't tight to the point where my personal space was violated. I spotted Ruby and Yang with a group of people; probably their friends. I didn't have time to see them clearly before more people obstructed my view.

"Clear the door. The airship will be taking off shortly." I heard a feminine voice say. Hopefully, I'll be able to make some friends before we land.

"Dad, do you mind if I go around and make some friends?" I asked. A skeptical look came my way.

"Alright. Be careful." He advised. I started to walk off towards Ruby's group as thoughts filled my hands. I could just invade Ruby and Yang's friend group and slip my way in or I could just start fresh and talk to someone new.

Suddenly I was on my bottom. I looked up to see a boy with medium length black hair combed over to the right at the crown. His eyes were a humble hazel which matched his complexion. His frame seemed to be much sturdier and bigger than my current constitution but he was in no way fat. In fact compared to everyone else he was average. He wore the signal academy male uniform, the big 'Signal' coat of arms and patch gave it right away. His hand reached out towards me.

"Sorry." He apologized. I took his hand as he pulled me off the floor; almost flinging me across the room. I caught my balance before I tumbled.

"Geez. No need to be so forceful." I scolded. I dusted my pants and I looked up to him only to see him examining me. Is there something strange about me?

"You're not wearing the uniform. Are you new or a transfer student?" The boy asked, continuing to size me up.

"I'm new. I have absolutely no hunter experience." I admitted. I saw him shake as if suppressing a laugh. I gave him a cold glare.

"Good luck then! You'll need it." He taunted.

"I won't need luck! I'll become the best hunter in the world! In fact I will be all skill!" I declared in front of him as he broke out laughing.

"This is gold man! Please tell me more jokes!" He shouted. Sounding like an absolute maniac. I noticed that we had drawn some stares but I blew it off.

"I'm serious." I responded as he stopped laughing. He must have seen the seriousness in my face as he gave a smug look in return.

"I'm not going to lose." He paused briefly "The name is Void Noire. Be ready to put your money where your mouth is later." He introduced, putting out his hand.

"One of us has to lose and it'll be you. My name is Sterling Branwen. Remember it when I become the best of the best." I retorted out of the corner of my eye I saw another figure come towards us. I turned to the figure. A boy around the same age I am was approaching us. He had bright blue hair in a similar style to Void's but shaved at the sides. His frame was thinner than Void's and his complexion was a tad bit darker than peach. His eyes were a dull dark brown, almost empty yet at the same time full of life. Quite strange really.

"You picking fights with the new kids already?" I heard him say as Void turned to speak to him. His face scrunched up.

"This guy says he will become the best hunter around. Can you believe it?" Void responded. The other boy shook his head and he facepalmed.

"You've got nothing to say. You're at the bottom of the class." The boy remarked. Void started to get annoyed with him.

"I told you already! I'm a defender. I'm not supposed to kick people's butts when I'm attacking." Void explained.

"Yeah, yeah. Your defense is solid but all you can do is take hits. You'll make a fine chew-toy for a Beowolf or maybe a sidekick to a real hunter." The boy joked as Void muttered words I couldn't hear. The blue haired boy turned to me.

"The name is Triton Cobalt. Has the so-called 'defender' been annoying you?" Triton asked me. I shook my head.

"Not at all. It's nice having company. I planned on making friends before I landed anyways because I'm a new student." I explained. Both of them gave me a wide grin. I responded with a confused face. Why were they grinning?

"Well, you have us now. We're both at the bottom of our class. So we'll have to put in the work to be better than those who have talent like Ruby over there." Void responded. He pointed his thumb towards Ruby. Was Ruby really that talented? Then again I haven't seen her in action.

"Is Ruby top of the class or something?" I asked as they both gave me a deadpan expression.

"She is the best at combat. We call her the Red Reaper." Void said as spookily as he could muster. I gave a slight chuckle as Triton took the reigns from Void. "Professor Qrow teaches her the way of the scythe which is totally unfair." Triton gave me the lay down. Suddenly I felt a presence next to me. Void and Triton had horrified expressions on their faces as I turned to see who is was. Turns out it was just Ruby.

"T-the Red Reaper!" Triton shrieked as he hid behind Void. I laughed, we're they really that afraid of Ruby?

"I heard my name so I came over here. I didn't expect you to meet with these guys." Ruby whispered in my ear.

"These guys? Don't worry about them we're cool. In fact, they're my new friends." I declared proudly as Ruby gave me a thumbs up.

"Good job!" She praised. A smile grew on my face.

"It's nothing to be praised about. I heard from them that you're the top of the class when it comes to combat. Could you show me a thing or two when we get back home?" I asked. A mentor always helps when trying to improve.

"Maybe. I'll ask uncle Qrow if you can come along when we go to train." Ruby replied. I looked around to see everyone with faces of surprise. Mouths open and eyebrows raised.

"The Reaper actually talked to a guy!" I heard someone say.

"Is he her boyfriend or something?" I heard another one remark. Looks like I was attracting attention.

"Ruby, were attracting stares. Do you not talk to boys or something?" I whispered. She nodded.

"Yeah. Actually, you're the only guy my age I talked to so far." Ruby admitted quietly. People were still gossiping around us. I couldn't stand it.

"Move along guys. It's nothing to gossip over. Me and her are just friends." I cleared up only to be met with more whispering and giggles. Looks like my attempt to stop the attention only garnered more attention. I turned to Ruby only to see she had disappeared. I looked around and I saw her hiding behind Yang. I sighed and I turned back towards Triton and Void; their faces in a mix between surprise and terror.

"H-how do you know Ruby?" Void asked as he broke away from Triton.

"Well. I live with Ruby and Yang. Qrow picked me up when he found me in the forest." I stated. I might as well tell them now. They're my friends. To my surprise, they were down on their knees.

"We are not worthy." They chanted as they groveled at my feet.

"Hey. No need for that. I just met them yesterday." I cleared up. They stood up and gave me a quizzical expression.

"You said you were picked up by Qrow in the forest. Were you raised by Beowolf's or something?" Void asked as I gave him a shrug.

"No idea Void, I've got no memory from before Qrow picked me up" I explained. The quizzical expression remained.

"So, you've got amnesia?" Triton questioned, I gave a nod as he returned a nod of what I assumed was understanding. The way guys talk by only using their heads is quite complicated after all.

"Well, I hope I get to know what is really going on in that mind of yours." Void mumbled. I didn't respond however as the rest of the airship ride was rather uneventful other than small bits of talk and play fighting here and there. It really was true that Void can only take hits not dish them out.  
"We have arrived at Signal Academy, please make sure to bring any belongings with you when leaving the airship." The feminine voice from before announced through the intercoms.

"Looks like that's our stop." Void stated, picking up his backpack. I waved him goodbye as Triton followed suit.

"See ya, I hope you get put into our class!" Void remarked, both he and Triton waved back at me. They both went into the academy and to a classroom I was unfamiliar with.

I looked around and spotted dad in the crowd. He located me as his eyes received a glint and waved to show where he was. I dashed towards him and grabbed his hand, he smiled down at me and we proceeded to walk towards Signal academy. It was a grand castle-like structure, red accented roofs and monotone gray walls adorned the academy. Yet the warm lime green grass and the cozy feeling of it all gave me a sense of welcome.

Dad pushed the door open as we entered the establishment. The hallways were quite busy, students rushing through the hallways trying to arrive at their classroom. A much lighter gray was the colour of the walls and the floors spotted white tiles. Dad maneuvered his way through the crowd and lead me to an elevator. He clicked a button as we ascended up the academy.

"Where are we going?" I asked. The view from the glass elevator was quite a spectacle. Then again most of the academy was surrounded by trees.

"We're going to meet the big shot of the academy, Headmaster Crystal." Dad explained to me. I nodded and held his hand tighter. Would the headmaster be kind? Would he/she be young? Was it a guy or girl? Questions circulated my head and suddenly the ding of the elevator invaded my mind. The elevator came to a stop and we walked forward as the door opened.

My eyes drifted towards the middle of the room. A plain wooden desk made of some kind of dark wood and a rolling chair with a purple haired woman in the chair, who seemed to be looking intently on some papers laid out on her desk. A small name plate with 'Headmaster Crystal' engraved was neatly placed to the right on her desk.

"Yo!" Dad greeted the headmaster. Is that how you're supposed to greet a headmaster? The woman looked up and gave a blank stare.

"Mr. Xiao Long. A pleasant surprise, I was just looking over the application to Signal Academy and-" She cut herself off as he looked at me. Her eyes were affixed to mine, like a snake would eye it's prey. I awkwardly continued the exchange, looking like a scared mouse.

"Erm, my name is Sterling Branwen." I announced to her as she broke her gaze on me and shifted towards Dad.

"He's accepted to Signal Academy. His dorm room will be 277 with Void Noire and Triton Cobalt. Mr. Branwen's class with Mr. Noire and Mr. Cobalt. Uniform will be in the dorm room next day, today will be fine without a uniform. Meet me in the teacher's lounge later Mr. Xiao Long and have a nice year at Signal Mr. Branwen." She replied as a flurry of information came towards me. Dad pointed to where the dorms are and how to get to Uncle Qrow's class. He handed me my clothing and such, which were quite empty due to my abrupt appearance in their household, and lead me to the dorms. We shortly arrived at a building with the same colour scheme as the rest of the academy but the shape was quite plain. Just a rectangular building and above the glass doors was 'Male Dorms Years 3-6' in golden letters.

"I gotta go sport, I'm late for the class I'll be teaching. Just drop your stuff off at the dorm and rush to Qrow's classroom." He instructed and dashed away.

I opened the doors and looked from room 277. The walls were a nearly blinding white and the carpet a dark red, standing out below the white walls. On the second floor and near the end of the hallway was where my room lied. It was quite a walk from the entrance, however, It was away from most of the traffic so that's a plus. I used the keycard and entered the room. There was 4 beds however only 2 were occupied. The first bed was quite messy and various posters were above the bed. The second bed was much neater and had pictures of oceanic wildlife. The other 2 beds were plain white beds. I tossed my belongings onto the third bed and made my way out of the dorm rooms and onto the campus.

The campus was empty and had various arches and random pillars and structures about. I walked along the sidewalk and went inside the main building. The way to Uncle Qrow's class was to take a right and look for Mr. Branwen on the nameplates above the door frames. I did as dad told and I found Uncle Qrow's room around 3-4 doors away from the entrance to the dorm room. I took a deep breath and opened the door and went into the classroom.

5 rows of 6 desks to the left of me filled with eccentric looking characters. Ruby in the back of the class with the surrounding desks vacant, Void and Triton just a desk away from her. Qrow's desk to the right of me in a similar style to the headmaster's albeit a ton messier. He looked up from his clipboard and gave me a welcoming smile.

"Ah, Sterling. Welcome to the class. Take a seat wherever." He invited in his usual tone. I walked down the rows of desks and plopped myself down between Ruby's desk and Void's desk. Void gave me a nudge to the side and gave a grin.

"Welcome to class Mr. Bottom of the class." He 'welcomed' as I gave a small laugh,

"Morning to you Mr. Second from the bottom." I retorted and we shared a laugh. Triton peered over but did not speak a word. I turned over to my left to see Ruby with her hood up and twiddling her thumbs. I outreached my hand and playfully pulled down her hood. She turned and expressed her annoyance, her hands on her hips.

"Geez, you almost pulled my hair with my hood." She stated. I gave a grin.

"Yeah, but you shouldn't have your hood up. You look much better without your hood covering your face and hair" I explained to her, a faint redness dawned her cheeks as she put her hood back up. What did I just say?

"I'll think about leaving it down Sterling" She replied. Well, it's better than having her hood up guaranteed. I faced the front of the class as Qrow begun his lesson.

"Today we'll learn the history of the kingdoms. Then later if you guys are good we can head outside and start sparring." Qrow laid down as the class cheered when the prospect of sparring was mentioned.

The real question is, how will I be able to spar with people who already received a fair amount of huntsman training. I've got nothing but moderate quickness, and even that got trumped by Ruby, Yang, and Dad already. I pondered my predicament as Qrow started his teaching on the kingdom of Vale.

The geography of Vale consisted of shallow waters up north east and mountains down to the southwest and the rest of the land in between mostly plains and forest. Where I was not too long ago was the island of Patch, western to where I am currently. He did mention something about a great war and I listened intently. The information I got comprehend was it ended in a treaty lots of people died, Mantle got overshadowed and Atlas became the new light. However from the war came the huntsman academies, Beacon Academy in Vale, Haven Academy in Mistral, Shade Academy in Vacuo, and Atlas Academy in Mantle.

He abruptly stopped his preaching and checked the time on his watch. I looked over at the clock and saw it was about to be lunch time. Qrow wrapped up his speech and the bell rang. The flood of students coming out of the room and into what I assumed was the way to the cafeteria. I looked over and saw that Ruby had already left. However Triton and Void were just about to leave.

"So where are you guys going for lunch?" I asked. It was an obvious answer but you never know.

"We are going to the cafeteria to pick up some grub. Wanna join us?" Triton spoke up and I nodded and a cheshire grin appeared on my face. I followed them into the grand cafeteria. It paled in comparison to the dormitories. However, we got there fairly late so as a result we ended up at the back of a huge lunch line.

"We probably should've ran here instead of walking." Void analyzed.

"Yeah probably. The school has like a hundred classrooms and a thousand or so students." Triton replied. My eyes bulged at the huge number of students and classrooms. No wonder they needed the cafeteria to be this big. It can barely hold that many students.

"Then how long will the line take if that many students could be in front of us?" I asked.

"Don't worry about that. Lines shouldn't take too long. After all most of the ordering is quick and food comes out in a few seconds." Void explained. Thank God.

"Sweet. What's on the menu today?" I questioned.

"Today is Monday so the special should be hamburgers with assorted vegetables." Void recalled. Hopefully, I will be able to gain some muscle and weight. I'm basically a stick that walks.

"You guys know a place where we can go work out or train?" I asked once again. Triton groaned.

"What are we some kind of directory?" Triton responded as I laughed.

"Sorry, I don't really know the place very well. I just got here you know." I said sheepishly with a grin. Void and Triton pondered for a moment.

"There should be a weight room on the second floor near the staircase at the west wing of the school." Void answered.

"For sparring the sparring grounds are outside with the training dummies." Triton added.

Not too soon after it was our turn to order. I ordered the burger and vegetables and my friends followed suit, ordering the same as I did. My order came out of a tube with a tray and my meal. I grabbed it and took my pick of various beverages to the vending machine not to far from where I currently was. After choosing my drink I walked to where Void and Triton was sitting. I then proceeded to ravish my meal and my partners in crime did the same. I'm almost certain that not even a minute after we sat down the meal was out of sight and into our stomachs.

"I love burger Monday." Void declared.

"I second that thought." I added. Triton simply nodded and he peered over to look somewhere behind me.

"Outta the way dog ears!" I heard a brash voice behind me shout. I instantly turned around to see a girl who seemed older than me being pushed around by another girl around her age. The girl in question had dog ears atop her head and a fair complexion. Her hair was a warm brown and cut short, stopping just above her neck. Various papers were strewn about the floor as she hastily attempted to pick up what she dropped. I stood up as Void grasped my wrist.

"Don't mess with the older kids. This always happens with faunus like her." Void explained as I gave a cold glare.

"It isn't right!" I shrieked back at him as Triton stood in my way.

"Not now. With how strong we are right now we will be humiliated. At most we can help her with the stuff she dropped." Triton told me calmly. I simmered down and thought about it. He is right. We would get obliterated 9 times out of 10. I slowed myself and approached the faunus girl and Triton and Void followed behind me. I stooped down and started to help her pick up the papers. Triton and Void helped out and we gave her the papers.

"Thank you very much. It's not very often I get helped." She responded. I gave a grin.

"No problem! The name is Sterling Branwen and these are my buddies, Void Noire, and Triton Cobalt." I responded with my arm outstretched.

"The name is Sandy Russet." Sandy replied and shook my hand.

"I'll see you around!" I ended with a grin and I made my way out of the cafeteria. I had around 20 or so minutes left for lunch time so I should make use of it. I walked up the west wing stairs and looked around for the weight room; which was to the left of the stairs and a door over. I used my keycard and entered the room. Various equipment lined the walls and inside, everything from treadmills, ellipticals, bikes and a bench press in various places around the gym. There were students from around the school gathered doing their workout routine.

I readied myself and I picked up a dumbbell and proceeded to do curls at the maximum weight I could do. Which was a pitiful 20 pounds. One step at a time and eventually I'll become stronger than anyone. I calmly placed my dumbbells down when I had my fill and checked the time. 10 minutes left for lunchtime. I went to the benchpress and asked an older kid to spot for me. I could lift 50 pounds max and I could barely do 2 reps. I thanked the older guy and he waved it off.

"Don't worry about it. I used to be like you as well. Don't be discourage if you don't get results instantly." He advised as I nodded. I exited the room and walked to Qrow's classroom. There was around 2 minutes left for lunchtime so I just decided to wait outside the classroom. I leaned against the wall and not too long after the bell rang through the halls, signaling students to go back to their designated classrooms. Qrow turned the corner and unlocked the door, following him as he stepped inside.

"So Sterling." He greeted abruptly. "Do you think you can spar against people who already got huntsman training?" He questioned. I pondered for a bit. Not that it mattered, I knew the answer. I would probably get curb stomped, however this would be one of the ways I can improve quickly.

"I'm not ready in the slightest." I replied back melancholy. "The only way I will improve is by sparring though, so I must be ready or my soul will not be in the same place when I wake up. Plus if I can't even beat my classmates how could I even stand up against you." I mused. I heard him scoff.

"Fat chance. You're a hundred years too young to even consider challenging me." He retorted. I couldn't reply back. He was right, for now atleast. I took my seat and attempted to run simulations through my head on how they would spar. I haven't the slightest clue other than what I remember dad fighting air. Each strike was precise, yet it came fast enough where it would look like a blind flurry.

"Oi Sterling." Void called out to me. I turned to see his face beaming.  
"You ready to get your butt kicked?" He asked, suppressing a chuckle.

"Well at least I'll be able to sit down after I get my butt kicked, unlike you who will take too many hits Mr. Punching bag." I replied. Triton laughed at my comeback and Void stayed silent. Looks like so far I'm winning the battle.

"Good one Sterling." Triton complimented. Qrow clapped his hands and the class went silent.

"Alright, time to get out onto the training grounds. Get the stuff you need and be there in 10 minutes." Qrow instructed. The class monotonously replied yes in unison. I walked out the door and onto the field. I didn't have anything to bring so I should just get there quickly. When I arrived at the training grounds I was the only one there for roughly three minutes; out of the blue I saw one of my classmates who was big and unruly walk towards the bench where I was sitting. On his back was a titanic warhammer that easily dwarfed me.

I stood there appalled as he took the hammer and swung it around on the training dummies. He held it as if it was a feather. If my jaw wasn't fastened to my skull it would definitely be on the ground right now. I continued to gawk as a chill surged through me. If Qrow gave us time to get weapons like that it means that everyone was getting their gear for battle. So assuming everyone has a weapon I'm the only one who doesn't have one. I am absolutely royally screwed at this point.

Fighting unarmed versus an armed person is basically suicide. I'm pretty sure they'll stop us before I get too hurt. Right? RIGHT? My knees weak, arms heavy and palms sweaty I attempted to reason in my mind how I could possibly live through this. Winning is overrated anyways, the main goal was to survive.

Shortly after the rest of my classmates stepped into the training grounds. Weapons from sniper rifles, swords, axes, and even more. You name it, it was probably somewhere on somebodies weapon.

Void, being a defender type, had a very defensive weapon. He carried around a triangular shield black with a gray outline and black with silver accents mace, I don't know any special features of it as he said 'It's a secret. You'll see when we spar'.

Triton had a very peculiar weapon. He donned a golden trident which was as bright as the sun. He showed me at the bottom the inside was hollow, you put canisters of 'dust' into it and there were buttons that allow you to push it to the top of the trident, which allowed you to shoot out different types of dust through the tips of the trident. Now for this 'dust' thing. It was basically elements condensed into a solid form, stuff like ice, fire, grass stuff like that. However Triton also showed me he had gravity dust. I have absolutely no idea how one can use that in combat. Maybe to get around the battlefield more smoothly? Anyways dust also powers machines like cars and factories, not just weapons.

What was shocking to me however was Ruby's weapon of choice. It was a beautiful red and black scythe. It was as beautiful as it was deadly. The thing was easily twice her size but when she showed me a few tricks she swung it around as if it was a foot long and it was mesmerizing to watch. Ruby showed me all the compartments and secrets to her weapon, even fired a few rounds from it as it also acts as a 'high caliber sniper scythe'. Safe to say she was a big weapon nerd as she started pointing things out in other people's weapons. I can see why people call her the Red Reaper now.

I just stood there, with only my arms and legs at my disposal. I need to get myself a weapon but I don't even know my fighting style. How am I supposed to know what weapon I'm going to forge? Do i just build whatever my heart wants? Or does my brain come up with a weapon that compliments my fighting style?

"The first sparring match will be Sterling Branwen vs. Vermillion Brass" Qrow announced. I felt my stomach flip as the guy with the huge warhammer stepped into the circle with a huge smirk on his face.

"This will be easy. The guy doesn't even have a weapon" Vermillion declared to the crowd. The response was a chorus of laughter. I hung my head down and reluctantly stepped into the ring with him.

"You can do it Sterling!" I heard Ruby say from the crowd, silencing the audience.

"I know you got this!" Void spoke up.

"I mean it's not really realis-" I overheard Triton mumble as he was roughly jabbed by an elbow, stopping him mid sentence.

"I mean YEAH! GO STERLING!" Triton cheered. The crowd just giggled as my confidence was restored.

"Are you ready to begin?" Qrow asked Vermillion and I.

"For sure!" Vermillion announced.

"I'm ready" I replied.

"Alright, BEGIN!" Qrow declared.

He took initiative. His speed surpassed mine as he closed the distance within seconds. The hammer swung down as an earth shattering slam was sent down towards me. In just the knick of time I dodged it, by just a hair. The hammer was delivered into the ground and the shockwave brought me onto my bottom.

I hastily got up and saw an opening as he was bringing his hammer back up for yet another strike. His chest was wide open, winding up for a seismic slam. A fist formed and I used all the strength I could muster into this punch, hitting him square in the chest. He barely even noticed it, but his strike and form was solid and the metallic beast was sent down straight onto my back.

"ARGH!" I grunted as I could not shout in pain. The feeling was brutal, as if the whole world was crashing down upon me. Yet I could still fight, the pain was unreal, but my back felt unharmed. It was almost as if a barrier was protecting me from real bodily harm. I shakily got to my knees. The crowd blaring to 'finish him' and a few sympathetic lines of 'poor guy' and 'sucks he got such a strong opponent first day'.

"Any last words Sterling?" Vermillion asked, the hammer poised to deliver the final blow. I didn't pay it any thought, my fist wasn't good enough. I couldn't pierce his form. I couldn't even make him stagger. I needed something harder. I needed to make him stumble, stagger, fall down, anything at this point. Then it dawned on me, an idea that was high risk, high reward. I stood up from my knelt position as he swung the hammer down once more.

Dust kicked up from the brute force of the swing, blinding the arena and the crowd. My eyes were blinded from the debris forcing it's way into my eyes. He's just slow enough on his swings for me to be able to dodge them. I cleared my eyes of the foreign invader as I made my move.

While he was immobile trying to see if I was hit, I positioned myself to where I thought was behind him and used my elbow to strike at his neck. It worked as he fell forward and he let go of the hammer in the confusion. He dropped to the ground as I stared down below at him. His eyes filled with rage and humiliation as the dust started to settle around us. The crowd saw the scene before them and erupted in mixed emotion. Shouts of cheater and dirty play was heard. Shrieks of joy and shock were hard just as clearly.

"Great job Sterling!" I heard my friends congratulate. However this spar wasn't over until Qrow said it was done and dusted.

"GRAGH!" A guttural shout pierced my ears, Vermillion got up in a blink of an eye and his stance was ready for combat.

Punches and kicks faster than I could process made their way towards me as I was assaulted, battered and utterly decimated in front of everyone in hand to hand combat. I couldn't hold out for much longer and I couldn't find any openings. Every dodge attempt was met with another punch already ready for my move.

Then finally a chance appeared, a missed punch gave me just enough room as he stumbled forward from the force he exerted. I grabbed his chest for stability and used my knee to strike his solar plexus. This had an effect on him, he gasped for air as the air was knocked right out of his lungs. However what I didn't notice was that he didn't miss his punch, he grabbed his hammer.

The hammer was sent at at my ribcage where there was no protection. I was sent flying and landed out of the arena, signalling a ring out. A gray haze appeared over my body and it seemed to shatter. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Qrow raise his hand and announce the winner.

"The winner is Vermillion Brass!" He proclaimed. The crowd shouted his name in triumph and I lay down on the cold ground, washed and bathed in defeat. I got two good hits in and that was it. He handed at least 15 punches on me. It was a miracle that I didn't go down sooner and finally accept defeat.

Suddenly my mind was hazy. I couldn't even lift my finger off the ground. Muffled shouts were heard from around me but I couldn't even process what they were saying. Exhaustion filled my body as I went completely still and everything just disappeared out of my mind.


	3. Chapter 3

Yoyoyo, it's JustAnotherHer0 here. I know this chapter is long overdue but I just didn't feel like writing. Sorry about the late chapters and stuff. If there are any mistakes please notify me so I can change it. Also looking for a beta reader if anyone is interested.

* * *

I woke up, greeted by a ceiling above me. Nice to know I lived through all of that. I calmly looked around where I currently lay. There were three chairs next to me. Filled with my friends Void, Triton and Ruby. Albeit Triton and Void being a good distance away from Ruby.

On the other side three more chairs were occupied. Dad, Qrow and Yang filled those spots. All of them seemed to be snoozing away, I must've been unconscious for quite some time. Thankfully there wasn't any machinery near me or an ivy bag. I just needed some rest. I sat up and stealthily got to my feet and walked around.

Checking the time it was currently 4 A.M. My battle was at around 1pm so I was gone for about 15 hours or more. It's a miracle the nurses let them stay to watch over me, unless of course Qrow used some of his smooth moves. I took a peek out of the window.

The stars greeted me as they shone brightly in the navy blue velvet sky. The Moon having a huge chunk broken off gave a sense of despair peering over the world, however the stars that twinkled relinquished despair and instilled hope. I admired the celestial bodies for who knows how long. Eventually one of my buddies awoke. The shifting of their body making such a sound in the dead silence. I wasn't sure who but I didn't really care, the stars were amazing.

"Sterling? You're awake?" I heard a voice softly whisper. I quietly turned around to see Ruby's face. Her eyes had bags under them and she was still rubbing one of her eyes. I tugged her sleeve and led her to a seat next to mine.

"Aren't the stars beautiful in the dead of night?" I asked in a quiet tone as what little light was given off from the sky hit Ruby's pale complexion. Her eyes glistening and wide, full of amazement.

"The stars are quite charming. I've never seen them like this, probably because I would be sleeping." Ruby commented. I turned to her and gave my widest grin which she returned with a smile of her own.

We sat there. Silently appreciating the stars. If only I could shine bright like a star, even in the darkest of times they still do their job and shine. Suddenly a weight appeared on my shoulder. I faced the source to see that Ruby had fallen asleep once more and she had taken a liking to my shoulder as a pillow. I continued to sit and embrace the silence as the sun slowly peered and pierced the horizon.

I've been sitting here for hours now, the sun was almost all the way up, just a smidgen left to rise. Suddenly I felt a presence and a hand appeared on my shoulder. I looked behind me to see Dad.

"Have a good rest kiddo?" He asked, I nodded as he peeled Ruby off of me. The warmth that came with her dissipating.

"Yeah, just for how long was I out for?" I asked. As he looked over to the clock.

"Eh, no more than 17 hours." He explained.

"You were out cold after you faced Vermillion." He added. After hearing his name my head started to drift downward.

"From what I heard from Qrow, if you had a weapon you could've turned the tides." Dad commented and a gentle smile appeared on my face. Then the thought hit me, what weapon should I make?

"Dad, I need some advice." I started.

"Alright, shoot." He replied.

"I need to make a weapon but I have no clue what weapon I should use." I asked. He went silent for a moment. Probably pondering options.

"From what I had heard from Qrow you used your elbows and knees for power hits. So my best bet would be blades like katars jutting out from your elbows and knees then have some sort of short range firearm like pistols or dust compartments for your arms." Dad suggested. It sounded like a great idea. So far elbows and knees are the most effective fighting strategy for me to use, however it is extremely close range so we need to maximize the damage I do up close.

"Would an having the pistols be part of the blades and have them use dust bullets be an option?" I questioned. Dad nodded.

"That's an excellent idea. I'll get in touch with the people working the forge and see if we can set up a time for you to forge your weapon." Dad explained. I beamed at the prospect of my weapons becoming a reality.

"One more question, when I lost against Vermillion there was this gray haze that broke. You have any idea what that was?" I asked.

"That seems to be your aura. Aura is our soul manifested in reality. It protects us and empowers us. In your case aura only protected you but once you get the hang of manipulating it you can do a diverse set of things such as powering your strikes and healing small wounds." Dad explained as I listened carefully. Aura sounded like a useful thing to master.

"However, when we take too much damage or use too much it breaks and we can no longer use it until we rest and it recovers." Dad added. Looks like I have to use it wisely as well.

The sun decided to pierce my eyes as I squinted, my hand hovering over my forehead. Suddenly the thought of school probed my mind.

"What time does classes start again?" I asked.

"It starts at 9, you have a solid 2 hours before you have to go to Qrow's class." Dad answered. Looking at his watch.

I had 2 hours to kill. I suppose I should go familiarize myself with the school. I announced my leave and dad advised me to stay careful. I opened the door and wandered the halls. Noting various 'important' rooms such as the music room, the weight room, and basically anything that wasn't a normal classroom. Soon after I found the exit to the campus. I opened the door and took a breath of nature.

The various tables about the campus was empty save for a few with older students studying. Not many things to be noted outside other than spots that I thought would be good to study or eat at. It was quite serene before all the chaos happens when school starts. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a familiar girl. I turned towards her and saw Sandy studying alone on a table, eating some potato crisps.

I meandered over to her, waving a hand. She seemed to notice as her dog ears twitched slightly. She gave a gleam and I returned it.

"Hey Sandy. How's your studying going?" I inquired.

"It's going well. To be honest I don't really need to study but I had nothing else to do so I picked up my textbook and went to work." She explained. Nothing else to do but study? I guess the discrimination was horrid in her class or classes.

"Is something wrong? You have this sad expression on your face." She asked with concern written all over her face. I dismissed it and put on a more cheerful look.

"Ah, it's nothing. You know if you had nothing else to do you should look for my buds and I around campus. We'd love to hang out with you." I offered. She happily nodded, her ears twitching as well. It was quite cute to say the least.

"Sure I'd love to!" She exclaimed with glee. Earning us a few more stares than I'd like. A hint of heat radiated from my face as I quickly changed the subject.

"So, uh. What do you do on your freetime?" I questioned.

"Well on my spare time I read books, collect trading cards, obviously study, play some video games here and there but I have no one to play with or talk to. Whenever I go into the city some of the shop owners don't want me to come into their establishment. When they did I had to pay a little more than the other customers." She laid down. Giving off a more melancholic vibe from her; as if she already gotten used to it. I grit my teeth discreetly. Why discriminate against the faunus? They're people as well. Other than that infuriating revelation reading books and collecting cards sounds fun. I wonder what kind of card game she plays.

"What card game do you play? I'd love to join you and play against you." I asked. Her expression changed to one more of excitement as her eyes parted a little more than usual and a grin donned her complexion.

"The card game I'm most into right now is called Dust the assembly. It's a game where the objective is to get your opponent's life points to 0. Each player starts off with 20 life points which can be removed or gained through the use of spell and trap cards. Creature cards are what you use to defend your life point and attack the opponent's…." She started to explain. I listened intuitively. I got the gist of the game, all there was left to do was acquire some cards. Before I knew it I heard the morning bell ring out. Signifying that I needed to get to class within 5 minutes.

"That's our que to go. Thanks for explaining the game to me Sandy! I'll see if I can get some cash so I can get myself a deck to play against yours." I thanked and I dashed off to the direction of Qrow's class.

"No problem!" I heard her reply back as I faintly heard the rustling of papers.

Luckily Qrow's class wasn't too far away and I made it with time to spare. Entering the classroom I noticed that everyone was already in their niches. I plopped myself down on my desk seat and was greeted by my two friends who arrived before me.

"Looks like you're tougher than you look. I mean I totally would've taken Vermillion easily, but for your body as it is right now you're doing pretty good" Void boasted as I blew him off. I was still a bit tired from the fight.

"Having a fair bit of banter here are we?" Triton entered in the conversation.

"You sound like some old man when you say banter." I responded and Triton gave a huff.

"Yeah, yeah whatever." Triton blew off.

I lifted my head and saw that Qrow had entered the room and sat down at his desk with his feet up, drinking whatever was in his flask this time.

"Oh yeah. I met Sandy this morning. She taught me all about the card game Dust the gathering. I was planning on playing with her but I don't have any cards. You guys wanna come on the weekend and get some cards?" I invited

"I'm down" Void responded

"I prefer Dustmonsters but I'm willing to give this a shot" Triton said

"Good. We'll talk details later." Then, the bell rang and the monotonous day of school went on.

* * *

It's been around 3 months since that the fight with Vermillion. I've gotten plenty stronger since then and my relationships have strengthened.

Sandy and I have been steadily improving our relationship and we've gotten quite close through our various activities that we do together with Void and Triton. She even grew her hair out a bit, now reaching down below her shoulders and stopping at the mid back.

Void and Triton. Oh boy where do I start. First off, they're the worst people on the planet in terms of combat, but ever since we've all trained together we've been steadily rising in the power rankings. Now we're roughly about mid-high and respected in our age group. No where near close Ruby though. Void gained a semblance, his is the hardening of skin. Probably sprouted from his hard headedness and his desire to become the best defensive huntsman. He relies on it quite a bit as it powers up his punches and increases his defensive capabilities even more. Turns out his mace and his shield could combine into a war axe when he needed to attack. His style is more oriented towards timing or going 'berserk' as he would say with his war axe. He's really cocky and prideful but that's what makes him, well him. He never backs down from a fight and is willing to lay his body for people he cares about. That or he likes showing off, I can't tell.

Triton on the other hand is more of a motherly figure. Don't get me wrong he's insane like us but he is more in tune with his caring and motherly side than we are. His trident style is orientated on thrusts that are empowered by the various dust he has stored in the trident. He can also throw it with deadly accuracy. Even folds up into a nice dust sniper rifle. He is a tad more humble and a LOT more sassy, but that's what attracts the ladies I guess. Did I forget to mention that even if we make fun of him for having girl problems he's the one GETTING the girls. I can understand how girls like him but the concept is still mind boggling.

Ruby. Well we kind of have this awkward energy around us but she's really bubbly even if she hides in her hood most of the time. She's very honest though and a terrible liar. That trait does make me trust her more than my other friends but not by a huge margin. She's actually quite introverted but I've helped her get over a small portion of it. Now the class doesn't see her as some kind of battle monster. We're really good friends even if we barely hang out outside of Qrow's training.

Which reminds me. Qrow has been training Ruby and I. Conditioning was hell, I swear I know every blade of grass on the perimeter of the school with how many time he made me run laps around the academy. I ate good food though, even if they were of questionable flavour at times. My body has transformed since I got here though. Through Qrow's hellish conditioning and my own time I racked up in the gym, my body is quite impressive. I was also taller by around 2 inches, hitting my growth spurt. Overall my body was toned and well developed, while I wasn't ripped I was quite sufficient in the strength department. I also had flexibility so I opened up my movement options. My main trait that I found was my speed so I couldn't weigh myself down with heavy muscles and heavy armor. So I opted in a more light and flexible armour that offered protection on all the parts that mattered so my movement was as least restricted as possible.

My fighting style that was a mesh of what Qrow and Taiyang taught me was oriented more towards fast and hard hitting strikes that involve my elbows and knees mixed with powerful kick moves. Watching it you'd think I was being reckless, purposely leaving openings but that's all part of my style. Leaving certain openings that I know that I can counter as so I can bait out my opponent's attacks and counter with a powerful strike of my own. It even provides a small mental advantage, after all it must be infuriating knowing that your opponent doesn't respect you and leaves openings but when push comes to shove I can close up all the openings and just chain together my moves. My current gear was metal plated shoes that are segmented and coated in black paint and yellow accents that enhanced my kicks at the cost of some movement, but at any moment I could pop them off if I need a little boost of speed. My knees and elbows has metal plating and katar like blades coming from them that retract when I push a button connected to my palms, push them twice and they come off and form an SMG that I could use as suppressing fire or as a backup. The plating for the elbows and knees were a vibrant white accented with a black line pattern around the edges. The blade itself was complemented nicely with red on the inner of the blade. My armour was light armour plating on the chest, shoulders and shin protection. Of course with groin protection as well. The armour was a washed out green-blue with a black line pattern similar to that of the elbows and knees. Under it was whatever I decided to toss on that day, but if I needed maximum performance I had a skin tight suit designed that is flexible and provides a little more protection than normal clothing. The name of my fantastic weapon was Smoke Peak, because once the dust settles all you see is the peak of my blades.

I learned quite a lot more about remnant and the creatures of grimm. My schooling went quite smoothly, always in the top 10% of the class in grades and even at times coming first in some subjects, but general schooling would stop at grade 9 and then it'll all be full blown hunter training with some more advanced schooling tossed in there every now and then.

"Oi, are you even listening to me." Void announced out of the blue. I didn't even realized I had tuned him out.

"Ah, sorry. What we're you saying?" To be honest it would probably be something about his girl troubles.

"I was saying, before I had to bring a certain someone back to life" Giving me a playful glare with I returned. "That I'm looking for advice on how to handle this situation. So, what happened is this girl, Megumin, asked me out to the Vytal Festival dance that's coming up but the thing is that she is in a different class than us and we've only talked through our scrolls and lately she's been saying some weird personal stuff about me."

"Like how you named your war axe 'The Chocolate Axe' then proceeded to bite into it and loose a tooth?"

"First off, that was a joke and second, yes." I gave a snicker. I've been feeding Megumin information on her crush.

"Why are you laughing?"

"I mean the answer is obvious. Just say yes and go for it. It's probably your only chance to bring someone to the dance anyways" I joked, Void gave a leer which I simply ignored.

"Yeah, yeah. Like you're the one who is swimming in people who are willing to go with you" I simply smirked

"Wanna bet then?" I offered

"Heck yeah, I bet 10 lien that you can't find a girl that will dance with you at the Vytal festival dance"

"Challenge accepted. Prepare your money then" I cockily challenged

Suddenly my scroll went off. I picked up to see it was Triton.

 _Triton: Bring you and the dunce to the training ground. The 3v3 tournament is starting up and we're the 3rd match_

I stuffed my scroll away in my pocket.

"Who was it?"

"Triton, he said we should go to the training ground since the 3v3 tourney is starting up." I said, grabbing Smoke Peak and putting on my battle gear. Void following suit. Void had on a black tank top and various pieces of armour such as fore arm, shoulder, chest, and shin guards coated a dark navy blue. The reason he wore such light armour despite being a tank was his hardening semblance. It was plain but it got the job done. Wearing any heavier armour would be less beneficial because his hardening semblance was just as good but without the added weight.

We made it out of the dorms and took a brisk walk towards the training ground where Triton awaited. Triton was wearing a cobalt vest with golden accents, a navy torso piece that covered his abdomen. Shoulder guards, forearm guards and shin guards were also adorned on his attire in a navy blue colour and a golden outline. A black pair of pants and a black shirt underneath the armour.

"Took you guys long enough" He said impatiently, tapping his foot.

"Lucky for you the match before just ended and the intermission time is ten minutes."

"Sorry I've just got some girl problems."

"These 'girl problems' you speak of can be resolved easily." I replied. I looked towards the crowd and spotted Sandy and gave her a wave. She promptly spotted me and waved back.

"Look at this ladies man, going after the older women" Void retorted.

"It's Sandy. She's like an older sister to me."

"Whatever makes you sleep at night." I simply rolled my eyes and spotted two familiar faces in the crowd. Ruby and Yang were also on the sidelines. I trotted my way over to them.

"Yo" I started as I caught their gaze

"Oh, what's up Sterling? Here to watch the matches?" Yang asked as I shook my head

"I'm here to participate. What about you two?"

"Well, I'm here to just watch the matches, I was going to enter but my team had a hard time deciding between who wouldn't be in the tournament. Ruby over here is watching and looking for weapons to gawk at"

"Hey! That's not true! I'm also here to watch Sterling's match!"

"Well, you weren't aware that he was even in the tournament until now"

"I did know, I thought that you knew he was in. After all he told us not too long ago."

"Ladies, please. There will be plenty of me going around" I tried my hand at a joke only to be meet with deadpan expressions.

"Yeah, lots of you getting tossed around the battlefield maybe" Damn, Yang is so quick witted. I simply gave a sigh.

"You and I both know that won't be the case" I replied

"Yeah! Sterling is really strong. Uncle Qrow trained both me and him after all."

"Thanks for the confidence boost Rubes!" I thanked as she gave me a bright smile

"No problem!" I heard a buzz and someone came onto the intercom

"Will Team SNT (Sunset) and Team CLD (Cold) please enter the arena"

"Duty calls. I'll talk to you guys once this match is over"

"Alright sounds good!"

"No problems here"

I jumped down forward into the arena after they said their piece. The arena was similar to the one that I fought Vermillion in, albeit bigger. I met up with Void and Triton who were raring to go.

"Alright guys, you guys wanna test out the new formation?" I asked

"Let's do it. We'll start off with the dust smoke screen once Void gets their attention. Then you can go in for the CQB. I'll support you from the rear." Triton broke down as we nodded in understanding.

"I'll switch to my battle axe once their occupied with you rather than me" I nodded as we stared at our opponents.

Team CLD, a team in the same grade as us. Individually they're middle rankers, but together their teamwork is nothing to scoff at, putting them at a higher rank than us. An upset like this will surely be turning heads.

Lead by Catalina Meridian, a girl with blue hair and a cool head. I swear I've never seen her angry. She wears a combat skirt that is a faded blue and a matching faded blue blouse and a darker blue shoulder guard on the left side. She prefers to stay back and command from the back line. Using her weapon which was a wooden bow, her ammo however was a variety of dust arrows. Her skin tone was a tanned cream.

Liberty Octavia, A righteous lady. Clothed in robes with a shoulder guard on the right side that kept the robes together. An aquamarine green sash wrapped around her waist for good measure. Her weapon was strange. It was actually her semblance. She had manipulation of dust, however she must remain immobile to control the dust, and the more different types of dust she controls the more diluted and weaker the attacks are. The actual weapon was her book, which has a set list of attacks that she has practiced that used the dust manipulation. When it came time though it could transform into two daggers.

Last but not least, Diamond Luna. Wearing dark blue armour similar to that of a knight's and she even has mannerisms of one. However the armour is much less restricting as the armour has been streamlined so that it still covers everything important but joints have been shed of armour and an overall lighter metal so that it isn't a strain to move around. Her hair was a sky blue that was tied up in a ponytail that ended just above the shoulders. She is the tank of the group, and her weapon of choice is a lance. Her complexion was pale.

I turned back to my team mates.

"Okay, so I'm going to target Liberty first. Her dust manipulation forces her to be immobile so I can easily pick her off with a few well timed hits. Void I need you to deal with Diamond. Then Triton I want you to send suppressive fire towards Catalina, mix it up though to keep her guessing."

"But if Diamond decides she wants to protect the backline and I can't distract her, we'll have to prioritize the person she leaves open." Void suggested

"When she leaves a person open I feel like she will know we're going after her so we'll use the opening that creates to take her down. She's the only line of defense between us and their backline." Triton spoke up.

"Will the team captains come to the middle!" The intercom shouted.

"Alright guys put your hands in the middle" Void, Triton and I put our hands in the middle.

"3, 2, 1. To the top!" We shouted in unison as I walked over to the middle of the arena. Catalina already waiting for me.

"It isn't nice to keep a lady waiting you know." She said as I offered my hand in respect. The other hand rubbing the back of my head sheepishly.

"Sorry. I was so blindsided by your grace that I must've feel behind" I uttered jokingly.

"Keep the flattery until after the match." As she turned her head away.

I shook her hand and said my usual 'good luck' and 'may the best team win'. After which I walked back to my team's side of the arena and awaited countdown of the battle.

"3"

"2"

"1"

"GO!"

The moment the announcer said go I bolted towards Diamond. Shortly afterward a smoke screen came up, provided by Triton using his trident. Once the smoke screen popped me and Void switched places, putting me back in the backline however I could see the battlefield clearer. Liberty had taken out her tome and swirling above her was ice dust. No direction yet, meaning I have time to stop it. However as if she could see through the smoke screen Catalina had fired a shot and hit Void in the chest. Thankfully thanks to the armour his aura didn't deplete too much but it was quite the blow.

"Triton start suppressive fire now!" I commanded as a flurry of sniper shots rained through the smoke and towards where Catalina's supposed position was. Then another shot, this time it was a fire dust arrow. That hit Triton in the chest, winding him and taking quite the chunk out of his aura bar.

'How do they know where we are?' I pondered to myself in frustration. However what I noticed was that Liberty's dust that was swirling above her was extremely high, even for an attack. Which could mean that she was using it as a scouting tool. She keeps staring down at her book, perhaps that isn't ice dust but air dust? Maybe her technique is using the air dust to sense where we are. Then I have to take her out immediately or force her to move.

"I'm going in!"

"No you don't!"

Diamond moved at breakneck speeds in front of Liberty. I grit my teeth and prepared for battle. The smoke screen wore off and the dust above us started to take shape into a swirling arrow. That can't be good. She thrust her lance while I took my eyes off her. I dodged and extended my blades and promptly thrust my elbow towards her shoulder joint, where I saw less armour. Only to be met with a forearm guard that blocked my attack. A wide smirk appeared on Diamond's face.

"Thought you had me did ya?" She taunted as I calmly thrust my elbow up, attempting to get her off balance but failing. I fell back as I saw the silhouette of Void coming from behind her. I had to keep her distracted for a little bit.

I tried to sweep her legs but my attempt failed as easily evaded my attack but halfway through I stopped my attack and propelled upward using my other leg and did an elbow uppercut that connected to her jaw, disorientating her.

"Cheap shot"

"It's a battle, it's your fault for not evading it."

Void had arrived at the scene, in war axe mode. He slammed his war axe down onto Diamond's back hoping for massive damage however a precise arrow shot from Catalina forced the waraxe to the side and missing the opportunity.

"Damn!" We shouted in unison.

"Now Liberty!" Catalina shouted as the spinning dust arrow was sent towards me, followed up by Catalina's own shot. Directed at me. There was no way I could've evaded in time, so I braced myself for impact.

The force of the spinning arrow and Catalina's own arrow flung be backward a flew meters, easily taking down around 70% of my aura reserves. I silently cursed myself.

"Triton forget suppressive fire, she can aim even with all the bullets whizzing by her head. Go in CQB"

"Alright Sterling. I damaged her though, she should be at around 70% aura reserves."

"Void, you and I take down Diamond. I'll drive for Liberty, forcing her to move infront of Liberty. Use that opening while she's distracted by me to force Diamond off her feet."

"Aye aye!"

With the plan in motion I sprinted towards Liberty, blowing the metal plating off my boots.

"Not this again! You can't break through this defense!" She exclaimed as she was once again forced to move.

"I can't break it but he can certainly move it!" I shouted. A confused look on her face arose but soon a look of surprise overtook her face as she was tackled to the ground by Void.

I looked over to Triton to see he was dealing with Catalina, and suppressing her making her unable to shoot her arrows towards us. Liberty was immobile and easy pickings for someone as blazingly fast as me. I made a break for Liberty as her book quickly morphed into two daggers.

"I'm not that easy!" She announced.

I started with a kick that broke through her weak defense, however I didn't hit her. I missed by a hair. I followed up with an elbow strike through her now open chest. A direct hit, sending her back a few feet.

"Liberty!" Catalina shouted, readying her bow. I turned around to see Triton taking this opportunity to strike down Catalina for good. Using gravity dust to force the Triton downward, it connected with Catalina's back, and forced her aura reserves into the red and forcing her out of the match.

"Catalina Meridian is out due to aura depletion!" The announcer shouted as the crowd went wild. The first out is always the most impactful. We have the momentum now, we just have to ride it.

"Go Sterling!" I heard Sandy and Ruby shout in unison.

"Oi! It was me who got that out!" Triton shouted towards both of them. I had a quick chuckle and went back to my battle.

Once more I dashed towards Liberty and swept her legs, this time forcing her bottom to hit the ground. From there I picked her up, forcing her hands together so she couldn't move them and ran towards the edge of the Arena. Which was only a few steps away and placed her down outside of it. Much to her and a few people in the crowd's dismay.

"Liberty Octavia is out due to a ring out!"

Once more another cheer for Team SNT. I smirked and raised a fist in the air prematurely. We have this match in the bag.

It was now a 3v1, Diamond refused to give up as to uphold 'honour' we made quick work of her through repeated and constant rotating hits. We were literally dancing circles around her until her aura hit 5%.

"Diamond Luna is out due to aura reserve completion!"

"Due to Team CLD's members being defeated the victor is Team SNT!"

We raised our hands in victory, something we worked so hard to achieve.

"Good job Sterling!" Sandy shouted

"You rocked out there!" Yang followed up

"Nice job!" Ruby added

The praise kept coming as I walked to Team CLD's side where they were. They took notice and turned to me

"You here to rub it in?" Catalina sneered. I shook my head no.

"I'm here to say it was a good battle. It was very hard fought especially at the beginning. I didn't know that you could scout info using air dust." I responded as I put my hand out Catalina gracefully accepted.

"Thanks, but next time we'll be the one with the glory" Liberty then spoke up

"Um, why did you pick me up and put me outside the ring instead of depleting my aura?"

"Answers simple, it was easi- I mean, you were knocked down and I couldn't bear myself to hit a girl whilst they're down." Seriously though, I only hit people that I knock down if I needed too.

"Oh, alrighty then." She answered meekly. I simply smiled and walked back to my group.

Ruby, Yang and Sandy came down from the stands to congratulate us.

"Sterling, how nice of you to join us. Did you find your date to the dance while you were over there?" Void teased. I shook my head.

"I already know who I want to ask." I responded simply earning me a few stares from the group.

"Anyways I'm starving. You guys want to go eat it's on me today."

"Hell yeah!" The group said in unison as we shared a hearty laugh and walked towards the cafeteria.

* * *

"You did good kid, You did good"


End file.
